A Octo Comedian
by Octoling-Mindy
Summary: [Parody of Joker (2019)] Mindy is a stuggling, wanna be, stand up comedian. She wants to show the city of Inkopolis what she can do - make people smile and laugh.
1. Prologue

Chapter 1 - Prologue

It's a cloudy day in Inkopolis Square during 1981. Octos and squids are walking down the sidewalk, crowding the area that they visit most often.

Mindy hums, twirling a sign that reads '_Everything Must Go'. _

The octoling was working a job as a clown to help out a weapon shop that was going out of business. Mindy had a bounce in her step as she moved around, doing tricks with the sign.

She then holds up the sign with a smile.

The sign falls out of her hands. She turns around, seeing a group of octoling boys taking the sign. She noticed they were wearing leather jackets and jeans.

"Come on, clown!" One of them called out.

Mindy scrambled to her feet. She chased after them.

"Stop them!" Mindy yells, trying to get other people's attention. People just went by her as she still runs towards the group of octos. She runs across the cracked road, not paying attention to any cars.

A beep is heard. A taxi stops in front of Mindy. She stops for a bit, then she continues to give chase.

"Hey!" the octoling calls out, running into alleyway. She is now jogging, almost out of breath.

A sign then hits her face, sending her to the ground.

"Beat her ass up." The male octoling group started to kick at her. She covered her neck and her crotch area with her arms. She was mostly kicked in her back.

The group around her muttered, then left the scene.

She breathes in and out, rolling onto her back. Groaning softly, she reaches up her arm, trying to get up.

She can't. The feeling of the beating hurts badly, like a fire is slowly growing on her back.

She mutters, blinking away tears from her eyes.


	2. Therapy Session

Chapter 2 - Therapy Session

Laughter. The sound of someone who is dying.

Mindy is sitting across from her therapist. She is trying to stop her laughter before it gets worse. She can't.

She gently grips on her neck, coughing a little. The laughter still continues. Mindy squints her eyes, starting to feel tears coming into them. She sniffs, the laughter slowly calming down.

"Is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there?" Mindy looks up at her therapist.

"It is certainly tense. People are losing their jobs." The therapist tells her. "These are tough times, Mindy." He pauses. "How are you doing? Have you kept up with your journal?"

"Yes, sir."

"Great, can I see it?"

She reaches into the inner pocket of her black jacket. "I've been using it as a journal." She hands him the notebook. "Also, as a joke diary. Funny thoughts or observations."

He starts to flip through the pages.

"I think I told you that I am pursuing a career in stand up comedy."

"You didn't tell me that."

Mindy looks back up at him. "I think I did."

The therapist stops and reads out a line from one of the pages. "_I just hope my death makes more sense than my life._" He places the book down, closing it. He looks into her eyes.

Mindy smiles, giggling softly at what was said.

"How's the medication helping you?" he asked.

"I would like to increase my medication," Mindy tells him.

The therapist takes out a piece of pale yellow paper. Looking down at it, he tells her, "Mindy, you are on seven different medications. Are they helping you in any way?"

"I think I felt better when I was in the asylum."

The therapist looks at her. "Can you answer my question?"

Mindy nods. "I don't want to feel so bad anymore. That's my answer."

* * *

Mindy walks down a sidewalk. It's now evening. She is holding a white bag in her left hand.

She looks up, seeing the stone staircase that she has gotten used to by now. She walks up it, head hung low.

She yawns as she goes to a building.

As she enters the building, she unlocks a metal bar door. She walks over to the metal boxes that were lined up almost like cabinets.

She unlocks one, finding nothing. She closes it, locking it.

* * *

The octoling walks into an elevator, looking at the floor. She presses a button, waiting for it to close.

"Wait!" A male voice is heard. Mindy puts her foot between the opening and the elevator door.

"Thank you."

Mindy looks up at him. He has a bag in his hands. She also noticed that he was an inkling. He pressed a button, and the elevator door closed.

The elevator starts to move up, but then it stops with a thud. The inkling looks over at Mindy.

"This building is so awful, isn't it?"

Mindy looks at him. She doesn't say anything.

The inkling then finger guns his head, then makes a sound like it shot him in the head.

Mindy smirks.

They both walk out of the elevator. One goes left, and the other goes right.

"Hey," Mindy spoke, turning to look at the squid.

He turns and stops in his tracks.

She does the same thing he did, just with some dramatic take on it.

The inkling smiles at her, then continues walking.

Mindy sighs, walking down the hall towards her apartment door.

* * *

She sits on her couch, staring up at the ceiling. She stretches, then fixes her black tank top.

Her body is awfully skinny. Her ribs start to show their shape through her middle.

_I need to start eating, _she thought, taking out a cigarette. She lights the cigarette, then starts to take it in. She puffs out smoke from her lips.

Mindy walks into the small kitchen, looking through the white bag containing her medication. With the cigarette in her mouth, she takes out each one of the pill bottles. She places two of them down to puff out the smoke.

She flicks the cigarette into the small trash bin in the kitchen. She takes three out of the rest of pill bottles and goes into the bathroom.

After the medicine was put away, Mindy went into the bedroom and plopped herself onto the bed. She groans, turning to her side. She slowly started to fall asleep.

_I don't want to go back to work. _


	3. Work Struggle

Chapter 3 - Work Struggle

Mindy was sitting on a bench, tightening up one of her clown shoes.

She didn't feel like coming to work today, but if she didn't go, she had to worry about the consequences.

"Hello, ladies," a feminine voice calls out.

"Hey, Lizzie," another voice spoke.

"Another day in Chuckletown," Lizzie says, walking over to her blue locker. She looks over at Mindy. "I heard about the beatdown you took. Fucking savages."

"It was just some octoling kids, I should have just let them have it," Mindy says, looking down at the shoe on her lap.

"No, you shouldn't do that."

Mindy yawns softly.

Lizzie continues talking. "They will take away your whole life if you do that, Mindy." The female inkling opens her locker, grabbing a bag. "Here, I saved this for you." She hands Mindy a brown paper bag.

Mindy takes it, looking inside. She smiles, giggling a little.

"You got to protect yourself out there, or you are going to get fucked."

"Lizzie," Mindy spoke. "I'm not supposed to have a gun," the octoling says in a hushed whisper.

"I want you to have it, okay? No one has to know, Mindy."

Mindy shakes her head, smiling. She closes up the bag, standing up.

"Hey, Minka," Lizzie says, looking at an inkling with short hair.

"What is it, Lizzie?" Minka asks, looking at her.

"Do you people call the game golf the same name, or is it miniature golf to you?"

Minka rolls her eyes.

Mindy closes her locker, buttoning up a white shirt she is putting on. She starts to laugh.

"Mindy? The boss wanted to see you. I forgot to tell you," Minka said.

Mindy walks away from the others in the room. Her laughter calms down when she walks into the small hallway. She coughs, opening the office door.

"Hello, sir. Minka said you wanted to see me."

"How's that comedy career? Are you a famous stand up yet?" the boss says, writing something on a piece of paper.

"Not quite. I'm still working on my material." Mindy starts to take a seat in the available chair in the room.

"This is going to be quick," he says, looking up at her.

Mindy steps back from the chair.

"Look, I like you, Mindy. I know others like you. But, I got a complaint, and it's pissing me off. The weapon shop down in the square, they said you left, never returned the sign."

"I got hurt. Did you hear about it?" Mindy's eyes wide with worry.

"Bullshit. I know you have the sign."

"I don't have the sign. Why would I keep the sign?"

"I don't know. Why do people do shit, I don't know," he snapped. "Just give the sign back."

Mindy is holding in all her anger. She doesn't wanna fight back, but she wants to.

_I would never do such a thing, asshole, _Mindy thought.

"The shop is going out of business for God's sake, Mindy."

"I know," Mindy says through gritted teeth. She's smiling, but she doesn't feel that way.

"Guess I have to take that out of your paycheck then."

Mindy sighed. She stomped her left foot in anger.

Her boss sighs, annoyed. "Do you want to lose more money with that attitude?"

Mindy shakes her head.

"Okay then."

Mindy walks out of the office, feeling tears beginning to form in her eyes.

* * *

Mindy opens her apartment door. She enters, closing the door behind her. She had gotten a phone call from the payphone telling her that she was fired. She dropped the bag filled with stuff from her job.

_I'll get the rest of my locker cleaned out tomorrow, _she thought.

She starts to smile, humming to herself.

_Using that gun on that subway, though. That felt great. _

She giggles to herself, walking over to the couch. She then starts to remember the male inkling she met in the elevator. She starts to imagine herself with him.

She goes into the bathroom to wash off the clown makeup from her face.

After that, she sits on the couch, taking out the gun she had used. She looked into the brown bag, taking out some bullets and placing then inside the gun. Placing the gun on the table, she walks into the bedroom, changing her clothes.

She walks out.

"I love you," she mutters to herself, stuck in a delusion. She starts to sway her hips, humming to herself.

She dances around the living room of her apartment. She finally feels free. She is slowly breaking out of her shell.

She laughs to herself. "Am I a good dancer?" she asks herself, still in her delusion. She doesn't even realize she grabbed the gun. She smiles wide. "You know who's not? _Her_."

She shot at a wall.

She jumps, sending her body to the ground. Reality sets in.

"What did I do?" she groans, getting up from the carpet floor. Mindy rubs her head, looking at the small hole in the wall.

She rubs her eyes, looking around herself.


	4. Rough Times

Chapter 4 - Rough Times

Arriving at the job building made Mindy feel a bit ill. She walks in wearing a black sweater and a faded grey jacket over the sweater.

"Hey, Mindy," Minka says, seeing the octoling walk in.

"Hey," Mindy mutters. She opens up her locker. She places a big paper bag on the wooden bench.

"You packing up?" Lizzie asked.

Mindy ignores her, taking out items from the locker.

"Are you okay, Mindy? Do you wanna talk, buddy?" Lizzie asks, looking at her with concern.

Mindy looks though the locker one more time before slamming it shut.

"I don't want to talk with you," Mindy told the female inkling, gripping the brown bag's handle tightly. "I would rather be dying out on the sidewalk than be your friend."

Lizzie smirks. "Nice joke, Mindy."

Mindy starts to walk away. She walks past the check in clock. She gasps.

"Oh," Mindy spoke. "I forgot to punch out."

Mindy starts to punch the dusty old clock with her left fist. She punches it until it hits the floor. Mindy laughs, walking away.

"What is wrong with her?"

Minka shrugs her shoulders, looking at Lizzie.

* * *

Mindy walks up the stone staircase, muttering to herself angrily.

_Why did you tell the boss? _Mindy thought, walking towards the apartment complex.

She then stops in her tracks. She can't control her anger anymore.

Mindy screams loudly to the sky. She screams until her lungs give out.

"What do you want from me?" Mindy asks herself, her voice starting to crack. She sniffs, blinking away tears from her eyes.

She continues to walk to the apartment building.

* * *

Entering her apartment, she locks the door. She places the bag down on the floor near her coat hanger. She takes off her jacket, hanging it on the coat hanger.

She walks over to the couch, sitting down. She rubs her face.

_I need a smoke._

She stands up, walking into the kitchen. She looks up at the top of the fridge. She takes a small box from it, opening it. She takes out a cigarette, putting it in her mouth. She lights it, taking it in. She takes it out, puffing out smoke.

She smiles to herself.

"That's better," she told herself, going back to sit on the couch. She stares at the blank TV, puffing out smoke from her lips.

_I need to write in my journal. _

Mindy turns her head to look at the desk near the couch on the right.

As she finishes her smoke break, she sits in the chair at the desk. She opens up her journal that was placed, and starts to think.

She smiles, getting an idea. She starts to write the joke down, proud of herself.

* * *

The next morning.

Mindy wakes up, stretching. She fixes her tank top, sliding off the bed. She puts on her glasses, pushing them up.

She walks into the living room to hear a knock at her door. She goes to open it.

The inkling that is from down the hall was there in her doorway.

"Hey," he says. "Were you following me yesterday?"

"Yeah," Mindy tells him with a frown. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that."

"I knew it was you."

Mindy's eyes widened with confusion.

_He knows me? _

"I thought you were going to rob the place." The inkling chuckles with a smile.

Mindy looks into her apartment, then back to the squid. "I have a gun. I could come by another time."

The inkling laughs softly. "You're so funny, Mindy."

Mindy's heart starts to beat fast in her chest. "You know, I do stand up comedy. You should see a show sometime."

"I could do that."

"Yeah?"

The inkling nods.

"Wait, before you go, what is your name?" Mindy asks.

"My name is Mark."

_Mark, _she thought, smiling.

"Well, I'll see you there."

Mindy stares at Mark as he walks down the hall. She then closes the door, feeling her heartbeat. She smiles to herself, walking into the kitchen to look inside of the fridge.


	5. The Late Night Show

Chapter 5 - The Late Night Show

Mindy wakes up the next day not knowing what to do. She can't go to her job, she doesn't have any friends.

She slides off the bed, not even wanting to change out of her clothes, but then she realizes she has to go back to her therapist.

_It's Friday, right? _

She walks into the kitchen, looking at the calendar on one of the walls.

_Damn it, _she thought, knowing that she will not have time to relax for a while. She walks into the living room, turning on the TV to the news channel.

She looks at the kitchen once more before she hears something on the TV.

"_Now, we have Travis, an inkling who is running for Inkopolis mayor. So, how do you feel about the killing of the 'Three Wall Street Squids'?" _

"_Well, I can't see someone doing that cold blooded, killing off people that helped me through things. But, I know that one thing is certain - those people out there, are nothing but clowns." _

Mindy laughs to herself.

"_Do you think you know who did it?" _

"_Someone who hides behind a clown mask, that's who would do that." _

Mindy keeps on laughing, her lungs becoming sore. She starts to cough and tries to stop it.

The laughter slowly stops.

_Wouldn't they like to know? _Mindy thought.

* * *

"So, before I got fired, they were playing this song on the radio in the job building I was in. The singer was talking about - his name was Carnival."

"Mindy," her therapist spoke.

"That's crazy, because that's my clown name at work."

"Mindy, can you listen to me?"

Mindy looks down at the floor, then looks at the therapist. "You don't listen, do you? I don't think you ever, really hear me. You always ask the same questions: _how's your job? Are you having any negative thoughts?_" Mindy looks into his eyes with a slight glare. "All I _have_ are negative thoughts, but you just don't listen to me. I thought people wouldn't notice me, but now they _do_."

"They are cutting the funds, Mindy," the therapist tells her.

Mindy mutters a curse.

"They don't give a shit about people like you, Mindy. Also, they don't care about me."

"Then, how am I supposed to get my medication?" Mindy asks.

"I don't know. Sorry," the therapist said.

* * *

It's now night.

Mindy sits on her bed, her TV turned on. She is waiting for her late night show to come on. The only light in the room is the TV's.

She just has to hold onto her life by distracting herself.

_Maybe, I just need to think about Mark, _she thought, smiling. She then hears the theme of the _NatOcto Show. _

She is now immersed into the show, forgetting about what happened to her earlier.


	6. Making People Laugh

Chapter 6 - Making People Laugh

It's now next week.

Mindy is looking through her journal, trying to find any jokes that she can use for her stand up. She is intensely studying line after line.

_I can do this. Just go out there and be yourself. Make them laugh like you want to. _

"Now, we have another comic who describes herself as an octoling that wants to make others smile and laugh - okay?"

Some chuckles erupt from the crowd.

"Please welcome - Mindy!"

Mindy walks onto the stage, thoughts racing in her mind. She is under a bright light. She squints.

Suddenly, she starts laughing. She covers her mouth with her elbow, trying to stop it.

"Hi, how are you doing?" she says between laughs. She feels tears burning her eyes.

_Stop. Calm down and think. _

The laughing fit slowly stops as she coughs. She flips through pages of her notebook.

"You know, I was just thinking the other day, why are the rich always so confused with the poor people? Cause they don't make any _cents!_" Mindy smiles.

Laughter fills the room.

She then spots Mark at a table. He's smiling wide.

* * *

Mindy and Mark walk out of the comedy club.

The octoling looks over at a news selling stand. She looks at the newspaper with a clown face on it. Mindy opens her mouth, mimicking the face of the clown.

"You believe that shit?"

Mindy looks over at Mark.

"I've seen those faces. Terrible people. Have to give credit to the person that killed them."

Mindy smiles wide. "Mark? Are you telling the truth?"

"Yeah." Mark looks at the octoling. "Few less pricks in Inkopolis, more to go." He starts to walk away.

"Hey, do you wanna grab some food to eat?"

Mark turns around. "Sure thing, Mindy. I wouldn't mind."

The two are sitting across from each other at a diner. Mark's laughing, enjoying a joke Mindy had told him. Mindy smiles, staring at him.

* * *

Mindy sighs, entering her apartment.

_That was a great night. Making people laugh, being with someone that I love, how hard can life be? _

Mindy takes off her jacket, hanging it on the coat hanger. She starts to spin around, her black dress flowing as she twirls. She giggles, having the time of her life.


	7. Losing Hope

Chapter 7 - Losing Hope

_Travis, _Mindy thought, sitting in the seat of a moving bus. She had taken one of the afternoon newspapers and was looking through it, trying to find the inkling's face.

She found a page. Looking closely at it, she studies it. She knows deep down she doesn't have to spy on him, but she wants to.

* * *

Walking down a sidewalk, she hums to herself. She then finds a brick wall.

_This must be it, _she thought. She starts walking down, now finding a black metal gate. She tugs on the gate, trying to open it.

_Locked. _

She sighs, looking through the gate to see the front yard. She now realizes that this plan was stupid.

_I did this for nothing? I just wanted to find Travis. Is he here? _

She looks yet again, but at the house. Mindy rolls her eyes, knowing that she could get caught.

_Fuck this, I'm leaving. _

She walks away, knowing that she is wasting her time.

* * *

Nighttime.

She paces around the living room, hitting her head with her left fist. She mutters angrily to herself. The TV is on, blabbing about something she isn't listening to.

"How can you _deal_ with yourself?" she asked herself. "You shouldn't even be alive, I don't even know how you are _living_ with yourself!"

She looks at the TV, seeing a riot being broadcasted. She walks and sits down on the couch.

"_A riot is going on at the theater. People wearing clown masks and makeup are roaming the streets." _

Mindy smiles.

_This is beautiful to see, _Mindy thought. _I may even want to go and see it for myself. _

* * *

Mindy is pushing through the crowd of rioters outside a fancy theater. The rioters are screaming, pushing people.

Mindy got through the gate that they had lined up.

She walks in from the side of the building.

As she enters the grand theater, she looks down the hall to see Travis, talking with a male octoling.

Mindy smiles, walking up to the two. "Hello, sir."

Travis looks over at her. "I'll talk to you later," he tells the male octoling. He nods, walking down the hall.

"It's great to meet you."

"What do you want from me?" Travis questions her. "Money?"

"No," Mindy says. "I want to talk to you about the class struggle with the rich and the poor."

"You don't look poor, miss." The inkling looks down at her clothes.

Mindy sighs softly. "But, I am, sir. Look, I would like to talk to you about how you are going to treat this city."

"I'm going to move this city forward," Travis explains. "Wait. Why do you want to know?"

"I'm starting to lose hope in this city."

"Then move."

"I can't, I'm poor."

Travis rolls his eyes, not believing her for a second. "Look, I just want to not deal with whatever your needs are. You see what's going on out there?"

"How about you show me some _fucking _decency. I'm working my body off, trying to make a living, and you don't think I'm suffering? Look out _there_! That's your doing!"

"Just stop."

"I won't! You know, I had hope _once_, but now I can't! I got fired from my job, I don't have my medication, and you don't-"

Travis suddenly punched Mindy in the mouth. He then pushed her to the ground. He looks down at her with a smirk, shaking his head. He walks away from her.

* * *

Mindy had her head against the kitchen counter, her arms crossed in front of her. She was on her knees, crying softly.

She then sniffs, hugging herself. Her skin is cold. The only clothes that were on her were her navy blue sweatpants. There was no blouse to keep the cold from hitting her bosom.

A beep was then heard. A message began to play.

"_Sorry to message you this late, but we noticed that you weren't in your apartment. We are trying to look into the murder on the subway and we would like to ask you some questions."_

"Go away," Mindy sobs, starting to grip at her neck. She then starts to wrap her hands around her neck, trying to choke herself.

Negative thoughts slash through her mind. Her tears roll down her cheeks.

The message stops, now finished.

She lets go of her neck, getting up from the ground. Mindy then opens up the fridge, taking out shelves and a few items of food.

She then crawls inside of the fridge, closing it.


	8. Getting Mocked on TV

Chapter 8 - Getting Mocked on TV

The afternoon.

Mindy was watching the TV, having one of her delusions.

Suddenly, she snapped out of it when she saw that the _NatOcto Show _was on. She gasped, looking closely at the TV.

The host of the show, an octoling by the name of Nathan, spoke.

"_So, we got word of someone performing at Inkopolis' Comedy Club. This sure shows if you just keep laughing, somehow the jokes get funny. Take a look at this joker." _

Mindy's eyes widened. The clip that was shown was her performance at the club. She's shocked.

_Wait, Nathan knows I exist? _

The clip stopped playing.

"_Well, you should have listened to what you said there." _

Mindy sighed.

_Now, you will judge me? _Mindy thought, rolling her eyes.

"_Let's see another clip. Hopefully there will be a punchline." _

The clip plays.

"_When I was trying to fit in, I always had told myself I will become a comedian, but others didn't believe me. Well, look at me now!" _

The clip is stopped.

Mindy smiles, wanting to hear his interpretation.

"_You should try harder, you are starting to make me yawn of boredom." _

Laughter filled the speakers. Mindy's eyes widened.

"_You could say that again, pal." _

Mindy was speechless. She goes up to the TV and shuts it off. Now angry, she walks into her bedroom, sitting on her bed. Her feelings are draining out of her.

_I need to see Mark. He can help, right? _Mindy thought as she walked out of her bedroom.

* * *

The octoling is roaming around the city of Inkopolis, trying to find Mark. She pulls up her black hood over her head.

Clouds surround the sky of the city.

Placing her hands in her hood pockets, she continues to walk around, looking for the inkling.

* * *

It starts to pour with rain. It's evening.

Mindy walks up the staircase, head hung low. Everything is going wrong.

_Is this worth living? _Mindy thought, walking to the apartment complex.

* * *

Mindy walks into the building, cold. She takes off her hood, walking into the elevator. She then remembers what had happened before, smiling a little.

As the elevator door opens, she walks to the right, looking for Mark's apartment number.

She knocks on the door, leaning her ear against the door.

_Is no one there? _

She grips the handle, turning it. The door opened. She smiles, walking into the room.

As she looks around, she starts to feel lost. She doesn't remember the apartment room looking like this.

She sits down on the couch, looking at the blank TV screen. She then hears a male gasp.

"Who are you?" A male voice asked. "You are in the wrong apartment."

Mindy stays silent. She recognizes the voice a little.

"Are you okay?" he asks, walking near her.

"I had a bad day," Mindy spoke. She turns her head to see an male inkling in his pajamas.

"Do you mind telling me how you got in here?"

"The doorknob wasn't locked."

"Why are you here? To rob me?"

"Mark," Mindy starts to speak, blinking away tears in her eyes. "I want you."

The inkling steps back from her. "I don't even know you. Who even are you?"

Mindy's eyes widened.

"How do you know my name?"

"A guess?" Mindy's hands are shaking. She is starting to tremble in fear.

The inkling walks over to the door, holding the handle. "Now, when I open this door you will leave, alright?"

Mindy points a finger gun to her head.

"Okay, please get out."

"I don't want to," Mindy spoke softly. She lowers her shaky fingers. "You know me?"

"No!" he snapped. "I don't know you! Get the hell out of my apartment!"

Mindy gasps, realizing what was going on. Reality was setting in.

"You don't-"

The inkling cuts off her sentence. "Get. Out. Now."

Mindy stands up, walking out, a quick pace in her step.

* * *

Mindy was sitting on her couch, laughing. She is holding a pillow close to her chest, trying to stop it.

Sirens are going off in the distance.

A knock on the apartment door. A yell from a person who lives in the building telling her to shut up.

She doesn't listen, continuing to let her laugh out.


	9. The Call

Chapter 9 - The Call

Morning sun shines through the windows of the apartment room. Mindy is sleeping in her bed, her covers a mess from tossing and turning. She has on a black button down shirt with her legs nude of any pants except her panties. She mutters to herself, trying to wake herself up.

A beep is heard.

Mindy isn't listening. She groans, moving her arms a little. She then starts to feel herself, her eyes half awake.

A message was heard. The message starts to play.

"_Hello, this is Sarah from the NatOcto Show. A clip of your stand up was shown and we would like to know if you want to be on a show sometime." _

Mindy rubs her eyes, sitting up. She walks over to the phone that was in the kitchen. She picks it up.

"Who is this?" Mindy mutters.

* * *

Mindy breathes in and out.

She is calming herself down so she can practice before her time on the show happens. She sits on the couch.

"Hello, Nathan," she spoke. "Do you want to hear a joke?"

Silence.

"Okay. Knock, knock."

Silent yet again. She reaches into her front pants pocket, grabbing the gun. She then puts it back in there, shaking her head. She coughs, laughing to herself.

She then sighs.

"How am I going to do this?" Mindy asks herself. She covers her face with her hands.

After a moment, she collects her thoughts.

"Okay, Nathan. Do you want to hear a joke?"

She smiles.

"Here it is: knock, knock."

Mindy takes out the gun, pushing it up against under her chin. She then pulls the trigger, throwing the gun.

_Glad I got the bullets out of that, _she thought with a smile. She sits back up, looking around. _But, do I want to kill myself?_

Mindy starts to blink away tears from her eyes. She really wants to let out her emotions, but she doesn't want to be weak. She looks down at the gun on the floor, her upper lip starting to tremble.

_Don't cry, be strong. _

She can't hold it in anymore. She screams, throwing her body to the apartment floor. She then sobs, muttering to herself incoherently.

_I can't do this! _

She sits up, sniffling. She starts to laugh, smiling.

Mindy doesn't even try to stop the fit, she just lets it out.

"My life is a joke!" she says between laughs.

* * *

In the bathroom, Mindy was dying her hair green. She smiles, finally feeling like she can do anything she set her mind to.

She walks out of the bathroom, dancing her heart out. She spins around the bedroom, smiling wide. The octoling then walks over to a mirror, sitting down in a chair. She then takes out a brush, looking for the white face paint.

After a moment, she starts to put on the face paint on her face, looking into the mirror. After that, she looks through her drawer.

She hears a knock at her door.

She gasps, finding a pair of scissors. Mindy rolls her eyes, putting the scissors in her back pocket of her pants.

"I'm coming!" she calls out, walking towards the door. She opens the door to find Minka and Lizzie standing outside her doorway.

"Oh, hi, you two," Mindy says, smiling. "What are you doing here?"

"We were just wanting to hang out with you for a while, we missed you." Minka holds up a bottle that was wrapped up.

"Well, come on in."

Mindy lets in the two inklings, moving out of their way. As they walk in, Mindy closes the door, locking it.

"This is a nice place," Lizzie commented.

Minka nods, agreeing with her.

Mindy walks over to the fridge, getting a small box of cigarettes. She opens one up, taking one out. She places it in her mouth then lights it. Mindy walks out of the kitchen.

"Are you going down to the riots down in the Square?" Lizzie asked.

"Is that today?" Mindy questions her statement.

"Yeah, but wait, what are you doing?"

"Celebrating. I haven't taken my medication. I'm feeling great." Mindy smiles.

Minka looks over at Mindy. "Are you sure? I thought those were to control your fits."

"Well, they cut all those," Mindy says in a mocking way. She puffs out smoke as she talks.

Lizzie laughs to herself. "Anyway, the police were asking us down at HaHa's. They asked me questions, thinking _I_ was the killer, isn't that crazy?"

Mindy laughs out loud.

"Yeah," Lizzie mutters as the octoling stops her laughter.

"But, they didn't talk to me!" Minka spoke.

"Maybe the person was a regular sized person. If it was a shorty like you, you would be caught right now." Lizzie turns to look at Minka.

Mindy smiles, taking out the cigarette from her mouth. She starts to draw a happy face on the wall that was close to her.

Lizzie looks back at the octoling. "Now, did you do anything?"

"No," Mindy says, rolling her right shoulder. "I didn't do anything," she says softly.

"We are not saying you did it, it's just-"

Mindy cuts off Minka's sentence. "I don't want to speak further."

"Why not?" Lizzie asks, arms crossed over her chest.

Mindy is silent. She reaches into her back pocket, grabbing the scissors.

"Can you talk to us?" Lizzie asks, getting annoyed.

"I know, you want me to talk," Mindy says, "I just don't want to get _found out_."

"What does that-"

Mindy suddenly took out the scissors, stabbing Lizzie in the neck. She then stabs her in the eye. Mindy pushes her up against a wall, slamming the inkling's head against the wall, blood scattering about.

Minka stood back, horrified.

Mindy then stops, breathing heavily. She drops the weapon and leans up against the wall. She slides down to the floor.

"What did you do, Mindy?" Minka stutters, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Isn't it crazy? Me on the telly?" Mindy asks, smiling a little.

Minka's whole body is shivering with fear.

"You can leave, Minka. You can go," Mindy tells her.

Minka sniffs, walking away from her and the dead body of a friend.

"Just don't tell _anyone_," Mindy snarls, looking at her.

Minka nods, unlocking the door and leaving the apartment room.

_Shit, _Mindy thought. She gets up, closing the door and locking it.

* * *

Mindy is humming, washing herself up after murdering her friend.

"Blood got all over me. Now I have to redo my makeup," Mindy tells herself, shutting off the warm water from the shower.

_I wonder how Mark would react to this. _

She then starts to imagine a scenario in her mind, stepping out of the shower.

* * *

Mindy walks down the hall towards Mark's apartment, holding a piece of paper. The octoling is now wearing a dark red suit with matching pants, a green button down collar shirt with a pale yellow vest over it. She had on a similar clown makeup that she had used over at her job, but was way more updated with the masks they sold out to the people. She also wore brown shoes that looked polished.

Mindy places the paper outside the door of his apartment. She then walks down to the elevator, pressing a button.


	10. A New Comedian

Chapter 10 - A New Comedian

Mindy is dancing down the stone staircase, having the best time of her life.

She kicks up one of her legs, smiling wide. She skips down the steps, giggling to herself.

"Hey!" A male voice called out.

Mindy turns her head. She then starts to run down the steps.

A male detective runs after her.

* * *

Mindy is running through the Square, thoughts racing in her mind as she runs up a small staircase to the subway.

As she stops in her tracks, the detective is still looking around for her.

_I lost him. _

Mindy sees an open door on a subway car. She rushes over, pushing through the crowd of people in the doorway.

She makes it in, breathing softly. Mindy looks around, seeing octos and squids in clown makeup and masks. She smiles, her confidence rising.

Mindy looks around herself, trying to see if the detective is after her.

_Must've gotten beaten the hell up. He ain't here, _she thought.

The train stops, letting the mob of people on the train run free. Mindy exits, laughing to herself. She does a little tap dance then leaves the subway station.

* * *

Backstage of the _NatOcto Show. _

Mindy is sitting in a chair, watching the news on the TV in the makeup room.

A knock on the door. It opens.

Mindy looks over to see Nathan and an inkling assistant.

"Hello, it's nice to see you," Nathan spoke.

Mindy stood up. "Hi, Nathan."

"It's 'sir'," the assistant told her.

"That's a load of bullshit," Nathan tells his assistant. "You can call me whatever you want."

"Thanks, Nathan."

"Now, here are the rules: No off-color material, we do a clean show here."

Mindy nods.

The inkling whispered something in Nathan's ear.

"Are you a part of the protests?"

"No, I'm not. I'm not political."

"Alright. You'll be going on after Dr. Matt."

Mindy gasps. "One small thing. When you bring me out, can you introduce me as 'Joker'?"

"What's wrong with your real name?" the inkling asks.

"I don't even know what my real name is."

"Sure, 'Joker' it is then. Nice ring to it," Nathan says, walking out of the room. The assistant leaves behind him, closing the door.

* * *

"Now, let's see the clip of our next guest."

Mindy's stand up clip was shown.

The octoling stared at the small backstage TV, smoking a cigarette. She doesn't say a word.

After the clip, she hears Nathan chuckling a little. "Now, let me introduce the next guest: 'Joker'!"

Mindy slides through the silk curtains, smiling. She starts to dance, spinning around with a small bounce in her step. She looks around the room, walking towards Nathan, shaking his hand. She then walks to a chair, sitting down.

"That was an entrance," Nathan commented.

Mindy was staring at the crowd, the lights, everything around. She couldn't believe this.

"Hey, you alright?" Nathan asks with a smirk.

Mindy nods. "This is exactly how I imagined it." She looks over at Nathan.

"So, we were talking backstage. You said this isn't a political statement."

"That's right, Nathan. I'm not political, I'm just trying to make people laugh."

"How's that going for you?"

Laughter erupts from the crowd. Mindy feels her face heat up.

Embarrassed, she starts laughing, almost for real.

As her laughter fades, Nathan places his hands on his desk. "So, are you going to tell us a joke?"

Mindy nods. She reaches into her inner suit pocket, getting out her notebook. She opens it up, looking through the pages.

"Hurry up, we don't have all night."

Laughter roars through the crowd. Mindy mutters curses as she stops at a page. She clears her throat.

"Okay, here it is: knock, knock."

"And you had to look that up?" Nathan asks.

"I wanna get it right," Mindy says harshly. "Knock, knock."

"Who's there?" Nathan's voice is filled with sarcasm, almost making fun of her.

She places her notebook on her lap. "It's the police, mam. Your son's been hit by a drunk driver, he's dead." Mindy giggles.

"You can't joke about that," Dr. Matt comments.

"Yeah, that's not funny, Mindy."

"Okay, I'm sorry. I thought," Mindy paused. "It's just that, it's been a rough few weeks, Nathan. Ever since I killed those squids on the subway."

Nathan's eyes widened. "Wait, so you are telling us you killed those people on the subway?"

Mindy nods. "Yeah."

"Why?"

"I got nothing left to lose. Nothing can hurt me anymore." She giggles to herself. "My life is nothing but a comedy."

Groans and chatter erupt from the audience.

Mindy rolls her eyes, groaning. "Why are you so upset about these guys? If it was _me_ dying out on the sidewalk, you'd walk all over me. I pass you by _everyday_, but you don't notice me. Is it because Travis went and cried about them on TV?" Mindy asked in a mocking way.

"You have a problem with Travis?"

"Yes, I do," Mindy snaps. "Have you seen what it's like out there, _Nathan_? Everybody just yells and screams at each other, not thinking about some other person. You think people like Travis ever went through something like I've experienced? No, they never. They think we'll just sit there and take it, that we won't fight them!"

"You finished? Are you just making excuses?" Nathan asks.

"No, I killed those squids because they were awful."

"You know, not everybody is awful."

"You know, not everyone is funny," Mindy mocks, smiling. Her tone then turns serious. "You're awful, Nathan."

"How awful am I?"

"Playing my video, inviting me on the show, you just wanted to make fun of me," Mindy says, glaring at him.

"Don't put all the blame on me, _you_ did all of this," Nathan tells her.

"Do I look like a clown that could start a movement? The system that knows _so_ much, you decide what's right or wrong."

"There are riots out there, people are getting beaten up on the streets-"

Mindy cuts off his sentence by laughing.

Nathan slams his left fist onto the wooden desk, continuing to talk. "You are laughing. People are getting killed because of what you did."

"I know," Mindy says, smiling wide. "How about another joke, Nathan?"

"No, stop talking."

"What do you get, when you cross a mentally ill loner, with a society that has abandoned her, and treat her like she's weak?!" Mindy yells, reaching into one of her pockets.

Nathan looks at his assistant, trying to talk.

"You know what you get? You get what you _fucking deserve!" _

Mindy then takes out the gun, shooting the octoling in the head. Blood sprayed out of his head, now scattering the desk and floor of the set. His head was hung back, mouth slightly agape.

Mindy smiles wide, some blood drops on her clown makeup. She laughs, for real. She then stands up, shooting Nathan again.

The crowd is screaming, running out of their seats.

Mindy placed the gun on the desk. She then starts to dance a little, humming. She then skips over to the camera, gripping it and raising it for the camera to see her face.

"Goodnight, and always remember - _That's Life!" _she says, giggling.

Security guards rush in, taking Mindy down without a struggle.


	11. Chaos in Inkopolis

Chapter 11 - Chaos in Inkopolis

Mindy is handcuffed, riding in the back of a police car. She is looking out of the window.

She sees cars on fire, people breaking into different places, running around. Chaos has come to Inkopolis Square. Their rebel is making Mindy smile.

Mindy laughs.

"This is not funny, you bitch," the police officer who was driving spoke. "Look at what you caused, people being riled up over nothing."

"They are doing it for a reason, though," Mindy says, pressing her face up against a net separating herself from the driver.

"No, they are not. Look, we are going to take you to jail for a murder charge, how do you like that?"

Mindy sighs. "You know, you people don't understand how I feel, right?"

"All we know is that you are a psychotic bitch, now shut up."

Mindy blinks away tears from her eyes. She is not going to become weak to some words.

"There are people getting hurt and fires burning around the city."

"I know, isn't it beautiful?" Mindy asks with a smile.

Suddenly, an ambulance truck smashes into the cop car, stopping it in it's tracks. Glass is now broken on the car.

Two inklings exit the ambulance, walking over to the cop car. They reach in, taking Mindy out. They then carry her to the hood of the cop car, laying her on top of it. Mindy is bleeding from the side of her head, her nose, and maybe other places from the crash. She groans, starting to wake up.

Mindy starts to cough up blood, her throat sore.

In the distance, a gunshot could be heard.

Cheering is all around Mindy, the only sound she can hear. After her coughing fit, she sits up, looking all around herself.

"Get up!" someone calls out.

Mindy slowly begins to stand up, the cheering increasing.

_Do they look up to me? _Mindy thought.

Mindy starts to dance, spinning around. She then stops, looking at the crowd of people around her. Her heart is pounding in her chest.

She sniffs, feeling something on her skin. She touches her upper lip, finding blood.

Mindy takes her fingers and starts to make a smile with the blood from the accident. She smiles wide, turning around, holding her arms out.

The cheering continues.


	12. The Asylum Therapist

Chapter 12 - The Asylum Therapist

Laughter. The sound of a girl who has done something.

Mindy is sitting across from a new male therapist. Her wrists are handcuffed. She is holding a cigarette in her left hand.

She is wearing all white clothing.

She continues to laugh, a sound that she doesn't want to hide anymore. As her laughter settles, the therapist writes down notes in a notebook. There was a tape recorder on the desk.

"So, may I ask you, what was so funny?"

"I was just," Mindy paused, smiling. "I was just thinking of this joke."

Mindy suddenly starts laughing again, not feeling nervous at all. The laughter then settles down again.

"Care to tell me?" the therapist asks.

Mindy sighs. "I bet you wouldn't get it." She then places the cigarette in her mouth. She puffs out smoke from her lips. "Why can't I get out of here?" Her tone turns serious.

"You are a danger to society, that's why."

"I won't hurt anyone, promise."

The therapist sighs. "Mindy, how are you doing?"

"Fine," she mutters, flicking the cigarette into a trash bin. "I want to leave."

"I've already told you this," the therapist says.

"You said I could talk about how I'm doing, right?" Mindy looks into his eyes. "Do you even care about me?"

"Yes, I do care about you, but you really need help."

"I don't need help. Can I go?" Mindy stands up, walking towards him.

"Get away from me!"

The therapist becomes silent all of a sudden. Thuds was heard throughout the room.

* * *

Mindy was walking down the hall, her shoes covered in blood. She hums to herself, smiling.

She continues to walk down the hall, then she stops.

Mindy then starts to dance, moving her legs and arms. She makes it to the end of the hall.

She runs down a hallway, laughing as she does it.


End file.
